Whittier Trust Co. Buys 2,115 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 179,007 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 2,115 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. owned 0.08% of Norfolk Southern worth $42,397,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Greenline Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Baird R W upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup lowered Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $259.00 to $288.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $273.80.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE NSC traded down $3.20 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $259.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,119,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,240,080. The stock has a market cap of $58.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.31. The company's fifty day moving average price is $248.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.89%.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.